Integrated Care Bahn BKK & MeineMKK
We participate in the integrated care programs of Bahn BKK and MeineMKK. Our practice has special contracts with these health insurance providers. This allows us to offer therapy appointments quickly and without bureaucratic delays, as the cost coverage is already regulated by the agreements.
Publicly Insured Patients (GKV)
In exceptional cases, billing is handled via the reimbursement procedure. This means you may receive a therapy slot in our private practice if you urgently need psychotherapy and are unable to find a timely appointment with therapists covered by statutory health insurance.
In general, statutory health insurance providers cover the cost of psychotherapy if an indication is present – i.e., you are suffering from a psychological disorder and the therapy is conducted by a licensed psychotherapist under public health care. Although the need for psychotherapy has increased, no new publicly funded positions are being created in Berlin. Nonetheless, health insurance providers are legally obligated to ensure access to psychotherapeutic services when needed.
If you cannot find a timely appointment with a publicly licensed therapist, you may apply to your insurance provider for reimbursement of psychotherapy costs in a private practice.
The following steps have proven effective when applying for reimbursement:
1. Appointment service centers and initial consultation
Contact the appointment service center of the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians or directly schedule an initial psychotherapeutic consultation with a publicly licensed therapist. There, the need and urgency for treatment will be evaluated and confirmed using the PTV 11 form.
2. Contact your health insurance provider
Ask your health insurance if they can recommend therapists who not only offer consultations but can also begin therapy. Clarify under which conditions your insurance will approve reimbursement. If you encounter general or unlawful rejections, consider consulting a lawyer specialized in this matter.
3. Rejection log
Keep a record of your attempts to find a therapy spot with publicly licensed therapists. Include:
- Date and method of contact (phone, email, etc.)
- Feedback or waiting times for therapy slots (not just for initial consultation)
If you find a timely spot elsewhere and can envision starting treatment there, we recommend taking the offer.
4. Schedule an appointment with us
If your search for a publicly licensed therapist remains unsuccessful, you are welcome to contact us to schedule an initial meeting.
5. Urgency certificate
Ask your treating physician to issue a certificate confirming the urgent need to start psychotherapy. This document confirms that waiting longer is not reasonable.
6. Application
We will support you in submitting your application for reimbursement to your insurance provider. The following deadlines apply:
- The insurance provider must respond to the application for initial sessions within 3 weeks.
- They must respond to the full therapy application within 5 weeks.
If your provider fails to respond within these timeframes, the approval is assumed by law (known as “approval by default”).
Once approved, we can begin with the initial trial sessions (probatorische Sitzungen).